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Cybersecurity Bulletin for September 15, 2017

This last week in Cybersecurity has been extremely active and I’ve prepared a few highlights of what the scammers are doing to keep everyone informed regarding what to watch out for at work and in your person lives.

LinkedIn

Be on the lookout for a NEW phishing attack that comes from hacked LinkedIn accounts. Recently hacked LinkedIn Premium accounts have allowed the hackers to send any other LinkedIn users a message that redirects recipients to malicious sites. The attackers then gather credentials when the victims enter their login information when they try to access a shared document. We recommend staying away from all unknown LinkedIn invites and direct messages for a time and to become aware of how the attackers are trying to trick you into stealing your credentials. This article will help explain: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2017/09/13/phishers-linkedin-hijacked-accounts/

Irma and Henry scams

The hurricanes that caused so much damage to Texas and the southeast is on everyone’s mind. The sympathy generated by these disasters brings out the charitable side of people, but unfortunately, it also brings out the fraudsters that look to take advantage of peoples’ generosity. Please only donate to reputable charities as fake charities and unsolicited emails may be used to steal from you or compromise your device.

As of September 7th, over 743 new domains were registered which are suspected to be potential hurricane related scam sites using domain names including: “help,” “relief,” “victims,” “recover,” “claims,” or “lawsuits.”

A recent hack of Equifax, one of the 3 major credit reporting bureaus, compromised 143 million US residents’ personal data. It is the responsibility of individuals to secure protections on their credit. If you are not actively seeking loans or new lines of credit, you may want to contact the credit bureaus and put a freeze on your credit which prevents new lines of credit from being opened without you first being directly contacted. Here is how:

How to Freeze Your Reports

The process for freezing your report is pretty easy, but unfortunately, you may have to pay a $5 to $10 fee to freeze your report with each bureau. Here’s where you can go to sign up for a freeze at each of the three major credit bureaus: